The present invention concerns an obturator for an opening produced in a metal sheet, used notably in motor vehicle manufacture.
This type of obturator is used to close, in a sealed manner, openings produced in steel or aluminium structures, for example a motor vehicle body.
Such an obturator generally has a collar which provides the seal on the contour of the opening which is closed off.
This collar comprises on the one hand a peripheral lip adapted to come to bear, in a sealed manner, on a face of the periphery of the opening. This collar also comprises locking elements adapted to come into abutment on an opposite face of the opening when the obturator is in its locked position.
These locking elements can consist of a series of teeth which are adapted to pivot on the periphery of the opening.
The purpose of the present invention is to propose an obturator which is both simple and reliable to mount, procuring a good seal whatever the thickness of the structure to be closed off.
The obturator to which the invention relates has a collar comprising a peripheral lip adapted to come to bear on a face of the opening, and at least one tooth mounted pivotally on the collar and adapted to come into abutment on an opposite face of the opening in a locked position of the obturator.
In accordance with the invention, said at least one tooth is also fixed to a flange mounted pivotally on a central portion forming a pusher, this central portion forming a pusher being adapted to move said flange pivotally between an unlocked position and a locked position of the obturator.
Thus the movement of the central portion forming a pusher causes the pivoting of the flange and consequently the pivoting of the locking tooth fixed to this flange.
The cam principle thus obtained allows, when the obturator is pushed in and the central portion forming a pusher moves axially, a free pivoting movement of the locking teeth so as to ensure the fitting of the obturator in the opening.
According to a preferred characteristic of the invention, said at least one tooth and said flange are substantially parallel to an axis of movement of the central portion forming a pusher in the unlocked position of the obturator and are oblique with respect to said axis of movement in the locked position of the obturator.
Thus the flange and associated tooth extend in line with the central portion forming a pusher so that they do not interfere with the insertion of the obturator in the unlocked position in the opening.
According to another preferred characteristic of the invention, in the locked position, the pivoting point of said flange on the central portion forming a pusher extends beyond the pivoting point of said tooth on the collar along the axis of movement of the central portion forming a pusher.
By virtue of this arrangement, the tooth is maintained in firm abutment against the opposite face of the opening.
According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the flange is mounted pivotally on the central portion forming a pusher by means of a portion of material with a small flexible thickness.
Likewise, said at least one tooth is pivotally mounted on the collar by means of a second portion of material with a small flexible thickness.
It is thus possible to produce the points of articulation of the flange on the central portion forming a pusher and of the tooth on the collar by moulding of the obturator from a plastics material.
According to another preferred characteristic of the invention, the collar comprises a cylindrical ring, several regularly spaced teeth being mounted pivotally on the cylindrical ring.
Several locking points are thus created between the peripheral lip and the different teeth regularly distributed on the collar, consequently ensuring a reliable holding of the obturator in the opening.
In a preferred version of the present invention, the central portion forming a pusher and the collar include complementary locking means adapted to maintain the central portion forming a pusher in a position retracted within the collar in said locked position of the obturator.
These complementary locking means afford a positive locking of the obturator, in addition to the locking obtained by the cooperation of the peripheral lip on the collar and the different teeth.
The maintaining of the central portion forming a pusher in a retracted position in the collar limits the protrusion formed by the obturator in the locked position on the structure.
The obturator can be a trim part, visible for example in a motor car passenger compartment.
According to a practical embodiment of the invention, the collar comprises a peripheral rim provided with an internal peripheral groove, a locking element joined to the central portion forming a pusher being able to be deformed elastically by said rim before being maintained in abutment in said groove.
The locking of the central portion forming a pusher inside the collar is obtained automatically at the end of travel of the central portion forming a pusher when the obturator is fitted in an opening.
In addition, the elastic deformation of the locking element when the peripheral rim passes procures a locking click which constitutes an audible signal for the operator, thus guaranteeing him a correct positioning of the obturator.
According to a preferred embodiment, the central portion forming a pusher has an annular locking flange adapted to come into abutment in said peripheral groove in the collar.
This annular locking flange thus procures for the obturator an additional seal between the central portion forming a pusher and the collar.